Apprentice tutorials
Welcome to PCA's apprentice tutorials, I'm Max, a senior warrior of the Project. This page is here to help users of any skill level contribute character art, or chararts as they are often called, to PCA and our lovely character pages on the wiki. What you'll find here are the basics of charart making, some info on the various art software our users use, and helpful tutorials for the different types of patterns and techniques that can be used to make charart. If ever in doubt, the warriors and leads (users that are listed as Leader, Deputy, or Senior warriors), are more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Have fun and happy chararting to you! First and Foremost Everyone always asks how to become a warrior in PCA, or how to make art. Here's how you do it: *Join PCA as an apprentice. *As an apprentice, you can ask questions from experienced users, or just post your art! However, sometimes you might need help with something specific - that's what this page is for! We recommend having a basic understanding of your chosen art program, shading, and basic instructions/critique. *The journey from apprentice to warrior is also rather simple. **Having three images approved is the baseline to ranking up. **But, knowing how to match different images, an appropriate light source + shading, and giving good critique to fellow user's images is also an important part of becoming a PCA warrior. Software & tools Art programs are usually the first thing you'd wanna source if PCA is a starting point for your artistic pathway. Most of the ones listed below are free, open-source software that can be downloaded safely, however, PaintTool SAI and Photoshop are both paid programs. A helpful little tip to remember is that the software does not determine the artist - so it doesn't matter if you can't use some of these if you master one that you like using, then, that's great! Listed below each heading is an image showing the tools that will be most useful in the art of chararting, and a paragraph from a user that uses said software. FireAlpaca Image + Username GIMP Image + Username Paint.NET Image + Username PaintTool SAI Image + Username Photoshop Image + Username Pupil & Shading Placement Pupil Placement chart A handy-dandy chart to show where to roughly place pupil for the blanks. This is by no means the only placement, but, rather a suggestion to avoid making your charart have a cross-eyed look to them. Pupil placement and style is something that comes under "artist's choice", meaning one doesn't have to make changes to it if they don't wish to. If chosen style is conflicting it makes it difficult to interpret, the artist may be asked to change a small aspect so that it is easier to make out the design (pupil + eye shine). image Shading Placement chart This chart is essentially a beginners guide to the most common light sources used in PCA. As the image states, there are many others of ranging difficulty, so don't be afraid to experiment a little! But, remember, generally, you'll have a major source of light that will cast the shadows onto the subject (however, there are some techniques that have more than one light source). For more information about light sources see here. Updated by Max. Solid Cats General (Grays + Browns) Image White Image Black Image Dual-toned Cats Image Tabbies Tabby Patterns Image